Drayton Bassett to Kingsbury Water Park (Birmingham & Fazeley Canal)

We are only going a short hop today around a mile!!  We want to visit the Kingsbury Water Park which is at the bottom of Curdworth locks.  It was another lovely sunny warm day as we set off along the canal to the moorings by Kingsbury Water Park, in under an hour we were there and mooring up.

Kingsbury Water Park is a 600-acre landscaped park containing 30 lakes and ponds, created from gravel pits worked over the last 50 years.  There are marked out walks and nature trails along with fishing, horse riding, sailing, power-boating and wind surfing.  There is a also a visitor centre and café.

Minature Railway Tunnel

Railway Station

One of the paths into the park leads from the canal, so we set off along it.  We walked past a few ponds where there was lots of ducks, geese, swans and a few grebes.  We followed the path under the M42 and then through the woods and over a railway line and past a railway tunnel and eventually we came to the visitor centre and café where the station is for the miniature railway.

Bodymoor Heath Water

We had a coffee in the café then walked down to the big lake called Bodymoor Heath Water and sat by the water for a bit.  We then walked back along a different path back under the Motorway and came to a hide by one of the lakes.  We sat in there for a while watching the wild fowl, there was some lapwings, some cormorants and plenty of ducks.

Robin by the Water

We walked on along the path and came to another hide.  We went in there and there was a couple of people inside and they said they had just seen a Kingfisher, so we waited for a bit to see if it would come back and sure enough it did.  It sat on a branch and kept diving down into the water, it was really great to see and I think the longest time we have seen a Kingfisher for as usually you just see a flash of blue as they dart by.

We carried on along the path and it came out on the canal just down from where we are moored.

We are staying here tomorrow as well as we want to have another walk around the park, a different part this time and as the forecast is for another dry sunny warm day, we are going to take a picnic, that will be nice and let’s hope we are lucky enough to see the Kingfisher again.

Moored at Kingsbury Water Park

Bridge 50 (Coventry Canal) to Drayton Bassett (Birmingham & Fazeley Canal)

Glascote Top Lock

Going down Glascote Top Lock

Entering Glascote Bottom Lock

Leaving Tame Aqueduct

The sun was shining again and it was nice and warm as we set off along the canal past Polesworth and through Tamworth which looked okay and onto the two Glascote locks, there was a boat just coming out of the first lock so we went straight in and the lock emptied quite quickly so we were soon onto the second lock and guess what there was a boat coming out of that one as well so we were soon through that one too and on along the canal, over Tame Aqueduct and we stopped just before the junction.

Approaching Fazeley Junction

Onto the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal we go

We had some lunch then walked up to the junction as last time we were here there was a craft centre and café in one of the buildings at the junction but unfortunately it is not there anymore.  We walked up onto the road just to see what shops if any there were and there was a few including a Tesco local and a few takeaways.  We walked back to the boat and chugged off down to the junction leaving the Coventry Canal behind us and turned left onto the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.

Drayton Manor Footbridge

Birmingham & Fazeley Canal

We went along there for a couple of miles underneath a curious footbridge, a marvellous folly and a swing bridge which is left open, these features make the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal pleasantly eccentric.  We chugged down to the next bridge and moored up just beyond it.  We have moored here once before, it is a nice sunny open quiet spot.

We are staying here tonight then moving on tomorrow.

Moored at Drayton Bassett

Atherstone to Bridge 50 (Coventry Canal)

In Atherstone Top Lock

Chugging past allotments to next lock

We are off down 11 locks today, so set off to the first lock but stopped to fill up with water just before the lock.  We went down the first five locks without any difficult, there was a couple of boats coming up so that made life easy.  We stopped after these locks and walked up into the town to get a few bits of shopping we had forgotten to get before.  The weather is glorious today, really warm and sunny, more like Summer rather than Autumn, but we are not complaining.

Waiting for lock to fill

In Atherstone Bottom Lock

We had lunch then set off to tackle the next six locks.  These are really nice locks and easy to do and set in lovely countryside.  It was really quiet and we only saw a couple of boats.  We worked down through the locks and soon we were through them and on our way along the canal.

We chugged for a couple of miles then moored in a lovely open sunny spot with fields all around.

We are staying here tonight then chugging on tomorrow.

Moored at Bridge 50

Day Out in Birmingham

Friday 25^th September

New Street Station

We are off to Birmingham today on the train.  The train station is about a 10 minute walk from the canal.  We walked up to the station and got the train.  You can either change at Nuneaton or Tamworth for Birmingham New Street which is strange because they are in opposite directions, but that is what we have to do!! We changed at Nuneaton and within 45 minutes we were at Birmingham New Street and what a transformation the station was from when we were last there.  All the renovations are now done and it is really good. There is a floor upstairs with lots of bars/restaurants/shops and new shops downstairs and the outside is very impressive, so much nicer than before.  

The Floating Market

We had a look around the outdoor market by the Bull Ring and then made our way to the floating market on the Canal by Brindley Place as that is what we had come to see, but we were very disappointed. There was about 15 or so boats selling different things, but unfortunately it was not what we had expected as we have seen plenty of trading boats on our travels and they have been clean and bright and the people friendly and they make you want to go and have a look and buy something from them, but it didn’t give us quite that feel!

The Floosy in the Jacuzzi!

We then went for lunch at the Handmade Burger Company on the canal, the burgers are really good.

The Owls and the Council House

Suitably full, we wandered back up to the station through Victoria Square where the council house is and what a magnificent building that is.  In front of the council house there is a statue of a lady and according to Terry Wogan and Mason McQueen she is called “The Floosy in the Jacuzzi” by the locals!  There was also four owls in front of the Council House.   They are dotted around the city and will be sold off for charity in October.

Inside New Street Station

We then had a look around New Street Station, it is really impressive and a much nicer place to go now and if you have to wait between trains, there are lots of nice shops to look around and bars/restaurants/cafes to get a drink or a bite to eat.

We got the train back to Atherstone and walked back to the boat.  We had a nice day in Birmingham and the sun shone all day, but next time would give the floating market a miss.